Heroes of the Storm: E.T.C. Walkthrough [Guide]

One of the stranger characters to play in Heroes of the Storm is E.T.C., the Rock God. Also known as Elite Tauren Chieftain, it’s hard to take someone – even one that is as fearful as an anthropomorphic bull – seriously if he brings a guitar/axe combination into battle. However, that will be your most fatal mistake as E.T.C. can really bring the pain to you and your team. Here’s our guide on how to play this heavy metal character from the Warcraft universe and how you would be able to figuratively, and literally, rock with this particular hero.

Introduction
Not a lot is known about the Elite Tauren Chieftain. All that is known is that E.T.C. came about from the Power of the Horde. Through unknown means, E.T.C. was created and he has headbanged into battle ever since. E.T.C. is capable of creating some sweet music with his guitar, but is just as likely to smash you in the head with it. A hardcore rocker and an even more dangerous fighter, E.T.C. is a joy to watch both on the stage and in the field of battle.

Items
E.T.C. utilizes different sets of guitars which he can use to bash or slash at opponents. He can also use guitar riffs and other acts such as leaping towards enemies or sliding in order to deal damage to enemies. Some of these moves may be able to stun, slow, or knockback enemies, and some may also provide beneficial effects such as restoring health or speeding up allies’ attacks.

Build
E.T.C.’s trait, Rockstar, gives all nearby allies a 20% increase in attack speed for 3 seconds once E.T.C. utilizes an ability. Nearby minions gain half the bonus. Rockstar gives E.T.C. and his allies that added boost and to add further damage and speed to an attack that E.T.C. would have to more or less initiate in order to become more effective.

As for starting abilities, E.T.C. has three, namely Powerslide, Face Melt, and Guitar Solo. Powerslide (50 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown) is a skillshot where in E.T.C. would slide towards a location, dealing damage and stunning for one second enemies in his path. Face Melt (50 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown), on the other hand, deals damage to nearby enemies and knocks them back. Lastly, Guitar Solo (60 mana cost, 8 seconds cooldown) lets E.T.C. regenerate health per second for 4 seconds.

For heroic abilities, E.T.C. can use either Mosh Pit or Stage Dive. Mosh Pit (100 mana cost, 120 seconds cooldown) will stun all nearby enemies for 4 seconds. This will have a short delay before activating. Alternatively, Stage Dive (100 mana cost, 100 seconds cooldown) will have E.T.C. leaping towards a location, dealing damage and slowing enemies within the area of effect.

E.T.C. is classified as a melee warrior, although he almost borders in the category of a support or specialist. This is because he can be built to pretty much help out allies rather than him doing the damage by himself. This is due to his crowd control abilities which can set up enemies for allies to take down. Still, E.T.C. does have some tank like abilities which would make him a hard character to kill if built properly.

The first build will discuss how to buff E.T.C.’s potential to help and support allies and to be a bigger threat for enemies through crowd control abilities:

Damage Slide or Groupies – Damage Slide increases the damage of Powerslide by 30% while Groupies lets E.T.C. heal nearby allies when using Guitar Solo

Dance Your Pants Off or Loud Speakers – Dance Your Pants Off makes minions hit by Face Melt dance for 5 seconds while Loud Speakers increases the range and knockback distance of the same ability by 50%

Monster Slide – Monster Slide increases the width of Powerslide by 50%

Mosh Pit – stuns nearby enemies for 4 seconds

Uber Rockstar or Face Smelt – Uber Rockstar adds 25% movement speed to the Rockstar trait while Face Smelt slows by 2 seconds enemies hit by Face Smelt

Imposing Presence or Head Crack – Imposing Presence slows the attack speed of enemies that attack E.T.C. while Head Crack increases the stun length of Powerslide by 50%

Death Metal – enemies hit by Most Pit will also get 25% increased damage when attacked

This kit concentrates on E.T.C.’s ability to control the crowd. This gives the player enhancements that will allow them to better set up enemies for kills through more slows and stuns. This is more effective with combos as well as with fast allies, preferably assassins, that can swoop in and make kills once the situation presents itself.

For a tankier E.T.C. that can absorb lots of damage, then the following build is recommended:

Pwn Shop Guitar – reduces the mana cost for Guitar Solo by half

Superiority – reduces the damage taken from non-heroic enemies by half

Battle Momentum or Guitar Hero – Battle Momentum reduces the cooldown of abilities by 0.5 seconds when using basic attacks while Guitar Hero allows E.T.C. to attack immediately, do double damage, and heal when Guitar Hero is used

Stage Dive – deals damage to an area of effect and slows them by 80% for 2 seconds

Relentless – reduces the duration of crowd control effects on E.T.C. by 50%

Guitar Instrumental – increases the duration of Guitar Solo by 100%

Rock God! or Bolt of the Storm – Rock God! reduces the cast and duration of Stage Dive and also increases damage dealt; Bolt of the Storm lets E.T.C. teleport to a different location.

The build mentioned above maximizes E.T.C.’s health and survivability, which also providing him with a means to escape should things get too hairy for him and if he is in danger of getting overwhelmed.

Strategy
Getting near a large group of enemies and taking advantage of E.T.C.’s stun and slow abilities are the best strategies when playing him. It is also important to have assassins that can quickly move and finish off those under crowd control effects. E.T.C. can also be used for pushing back enemies or keeping more powerful melee warriors at bay, specifically with his Face Melt ability.

For heroic abilities, both Mosh Pit and Stage Dive can be used for CC, with the latter having the slight advantage of dealing damage. Mosh Pit lasts longer, though, so it’s really up to you as to which you would like to use. However, do make sure that someone will be able to take advantage of this, either to attack or as a means to escape.

Pros and Cons
E.T.C. has the tankiness of a warrior but without the ability to deal damage. That is compensation by his abilities that can cause stuns, slows, or knockbacks. Here, E.T.C. is best used as the initiator of battles, and the after effects of his attacks would be taken advantage of, especially by slower enemies that can deal heavy damage. He also has low cooldowns for starting abilities, but you may have the tendency to spam attacks if this is the case, making them unavailable to you when using them really counts.

E.T.C. is also quite fast for his size. He also has abilities that can allow him to move fast such as Powerslide and Stage Dive. Both can be used to get you into a crowd of enemies quickly, and it can also be used to move away from danger. Don’t worry too much, however, as E.T.C. has some great abilities that can help himself as well as others, such as his Rockstar trait and Guitar Solo. This allows him to have increased survivability as well as give nearby teammates a much needed boost.

Tips and Tricks
Always find to attack crowds instead of single targets. This will give you the best bang for your buck when using abilities. Powerslide can hit multiple targets in a lane, while Face Melt and his heroic abilities can both hit enemies around him. Use these to set up enemies for an attack. With this, E.T.C. is best used for team battles, especially since E.T.C. is not that effective when going for one on one battles.

E.T.C. is also the weapon of choice when dealing with powerful but slower characters. Simply use his knockback abilities to keep them at bay, and once you hit a stun, have allies wail on him until the enemy falls. Choosing both Uber Rockstar and Groupies can also provide better support capabilities for teammates by healing their health and increasing attack speed.

While E.T.C. has high health and survivability, watching out for your health is still important. E.T.C. is capable of sustaining his health by himself, so using Guitar Solo is really a must. Players can also chain together attacks and abilities for higher damage, and to give allies ample time to charge in and finish fights for you. If this is not possible, however, then use this opportunity to move away and regroup with teammates until such time that you are ready to make your attack again.